October rides: put a little color into it.

[Crankin]

OK, I did the ride, at least most of it... I knew dressing for a temperature starting at 40 would be hard, because it would be going up to around 52-55. Though it was partly cloudy when I left to ride the 4 miles to the start, it became sunny. My mid layer (jersey) was basically too heavy... I was able to unzip my jacket and jersey and basically ended up taking both the heavy and light head cover off, and taking off my gloves in the middle of the ride and putting the liners I had used for the trip to the start on as gloves. I did wear my winter cycling shoes and that was fine.
There were about 15-20 people. Some I like, others, just weird. The leader was the woman whose DH got hit and killed by a driver a few years ago (on his way to the dentist). They are/were lovely people, but she's sometimes edgy when riding. I can't explain it. She can sustain a faster pace than me on flats for a longer period, but I can drop her in a minute on a climb. So, I alternately felt sweaty and my legs were burning from trying to stay with the front group. This ride was really just on all of the typical roads I ride on, especially the ones in Acton, Stow, and Boxboro, and back to Concord. However, near the end, where I had told her I was going to peel off and head home, she took a wrong turn (how can you do that with GPS?). It wasn't a big deal wrong turn, but it ended up in a spot where she was going to lead the group to make a left onto a busy road with a small rise and poor sightlines. I would never do that. Since I was already feeling tired from being overheated, I decided to part ways there and make a right on the busy road and then a left, which is a parallel street to the one they were heading for. I rarely take this way home, because it is really hilly, with 3 climbs, the first one the worst. It's also narrower than the other street, which is my go to way out of my area. But, I decided I'd get home quicker, although with less miles, and I could go as slow as I wanted, with no peer pressure!
I was very glad to get home. My total was 29 miles, not the 36 I thought I would have, but it's more than I would have done alone.